"It certainly has changed a lot. When we were playing, it was funny to get a concussion, and now, obviously, it's not funny," Arrowhead football coach Greg Malling said.

Malling runs the most dominant high-school program in the state and is at the forefront of the technological age when it comes to head-on contact.

"The awareness of the severity or the long-term effects possibly of this stuff comes up. It changes how you think of things," Malling said.

It's no exaggeration that a helmet is a literal lifeline between player safety and what can be a devastating hit. The people at Arrowhead High School are using technology that keeps track of the hits a player takes.

"They'll look at the data after the fact and see if kids are leading with their head, hitting wrong," Arrowhead athletic trainer Chayla Edwards said.

Arrowhead is one of the few schools nationwide that is working with helmet supplier Riddell. Its Insite program places a chip in each player's helmet to monitor the number of blows to the head.

"This is something again that just tells us they hit their head. This isn't saying they have a headache or they're dizzy," Edwards said.

The data collected is an effective tool to ensure the future of the game, but the most important element to player safety remains how the players approach the game.

"At the end of the day, all the technology is going to tell us is that it was wrong. Our goal is that these things don't go off this year," Malling said.

"I trust what we do that I'm not going to get injured, and if I do, it's the right way. I won't be injured," Arrowhead football player Andy Hessler said.

METEOROLOGIST MARK BADEN, AND BIGS THE -- BIG 12 SPORTS DIRECTOR DAN NEEDLES. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GETS UNDERWAY THIS FRIDAY. ONE OF THE BEST PROGRAMS IN THE STATE IS USING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT ITS PLAYERS FROM HEAD INJURIES GRATEFUL SPORTS TRADE THEIR CASES TO ARROWHEAD. FOOTBALL CAN APPEAR TO BE THE MOST VIOLENT GAME AROUND. IT HAS CHANGED A LOT. WHEN WE ARE PLAYING, IT WAS FUN TO GET A CONCUSSION. NOW IT IS NOT. ARROWHEAD COACH RUNS THE MOST DOMINANT HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM IN THE STATE. THE AWARENESS OF THE SEVERITY AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS COMES UP. CHANGES I YOU THINK. NO EXAGGERATION THAT A HELMET BETWEEN PLAYER SAFETY AND A DEVASTATING HIT. PEOPLE AT ARROWHEAD HIGH SCHOOL ARE USING TECHNOLOGY TO TAKE HITS FROM HERE INTO A DEVICE LIKE THIS. WE WILL LOOK AFTER THE FACT AND SEE IF THERE HAD IS HITTING WRONG. ARROWHEAD IS ONE OF THE FEW SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE WORKING WITH RIDDELL , WHERE THE PROGRAM PLACES A CHIP IN THE HELMET TO MONITOR THE NUMBER OF BLOWS TO THE HEAD. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TELLS US SOMETHING. THE DATA IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF THE GAME. THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS PLAYER SAFETY. AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL THE TECHNOLOGY WILL TELL US -- WE -- OUR GOAL IS THAT WE PROTECT THEM. IF I DO IT THE RIGHT WAY, I WON'T BE INJURED. TECHNIQUE, REINFORCING SOME FUNDAMENTALS THAT WILL KEEP SOMEBODY SAY. ARROWHEAD OPENS THE 2014 SEASON AS THE TWO-TIME DEFENDING STATE CHAMPION.

Three members of the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals have committed to three of the top Division 1 hockey programs in the country. Grant Cruikshank will play for Wisconsin, Jake Nielsen will play for St. Lawrence, and Zach Metsa will play for Quinnipiac